Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-09-21
oHio'S GRETNA GREEN.
How the Matrimonial Knot Is Spliced By q
Famous Buckeye Squire.

OHiO'S GRETNA GREEN.
Flow the Matrimonial Knot Is spliced By .
Famous Buckeye Squire.
Knowing that readers have often heard
of the 'Gretna Green" of America, where
young couples flee to get married when
their parents raise objections, a Chicago
Times correspondent has concluded to give
them short history of this famous little
village and biographical sketches of the
two "'squires" who have united in we'd
lock over ten thousand couples. Aberdeen
is beautiful village of one thousand in
habitants, located ON the North side of the
Ohio river, sixty-flve miles above Cincin-
natl, directly opposite Maysville, Ky. 1t
was laid out July 5, 1916, by Nathan Ellis,
and additions to the town were made by
James Powers and John Beasley. The frst
business man of the village was Arthur
Mitchell. The first justice of the peace was
Nathan Ellis, after whose death Thomas
Shelton was elected, and held the office for
fifty -four years-till his death, in 1869. He
was born in Stafford County, Va, in 1916,
and in 1872 emigrated TO Brown County, o.
He was perhaps the most remarkable man
of his section, from the fact that he had
ofhciated at the solemnization of more mar
riages than any person in the United States.
1t has been estimated that he united in the
bonds of wedlock over six thousand
couples. In his old age he kept
no record, and many marriages
were not recorded. Hundreds of
young people whose parents were unfa-
vorable to their plans have fed to the old
esquire" and found his services an effi-
cient remedy for their misfortunes. He
always claimed that the majority Of his
marriages were happily made, and if they
turned out to the contrary he consoled him
self with the reflection that his own part
was well done, and that hc was not to
blame. The old gentleman for many
years previous to his death had q peculiar
passion for watches and knives, and if the
prospective groom had not the requisite
amount of money to pay for his marriage
ceremony, he would take a watch or knife
III exchange. and when death claimed him
he had in his possession over three hun
dred brass and silver watches and many
old knives. He would also bury his money,
and after his death his relatives dug out
of the ground several jars of gold coin.
He was member of the Baptist Church,
and his remains lie buried in the Carr
graveyard, in Mason County, KY. After
the death of Shelton, Massie Beasley was
elected to fill the vacancy, and is now the
justice of the peace, having been in office
seventeen years, and up to the present
time has married three thousand eight
hundred couples. He was married March
q, 1S32, at the age of twenty-one,
his wife being a Miss Jane T. Crop
per, who preceded him to the
grave several years since. He has two
children living, Thomas NJ. and Eliza Jane
The former is pilot and captain on the
steamer Gretna Green, which plies between
Aberdeen and Maysville. Gretna Green is
a place just beyond the Scottish border,
where couples could get married without a
license. The weddings were recognized
by the laws of England and Scotland. So
Squire Shelton took this as precedent
and commenced to marry couples from
Kentucky directly after his election in
1916, without license, and the Legislature
of that State at one time legalized all mar
riages made at Aberdeen, o., the same as
those made within the State, in conse-
quence of litigation growing out of mar
riages from the State of Kentucky, and
they stand in divorce cases, as it has never
been shown where q divorce was granted
in consequence of said marriages, the Ap-
peliate Court of Kentucky and the Supreme
Court of Ohio confirming the same
Squire Beasley is a well-preserved man for
his age, being seventy-six years old. He
has never married but the one time, but
has had numerous proposals from "bells"
OF the Bluegrass region. His marriages
never run less than one a day, and often go
up to seven. Many persons from all parts
of the United States have had their
marriage rite solemnized here, but the ma
Jority are from Kentucky, Indiana and the
Virginias. He has married couples from
st. Louis, Mo-, and even New York. His
fees run from one dollar to ten dollars, and
has several times been paid as high as
twenty dollars, and one party from New
York, who came here for the notoriety of
the occasion, paid him forty dollars. In the
winter time, when the river is full of float
ing ice, and it is considered dangerous for
any one to attempt to cross the stream,
may often be seen a wedding couple bat
tling with the ice, and frequently they are
carried several miles below the city before
they effect landing.
The squire will never marry q couple
when he is forewarned, and will never
marry one younger than fourteen
years, and has often sent them away beg
ging him to marry them. He also marries
quite a number of Ohio people, but he re-
quires them to get a license at the county
seat before he will perform the ceremony.
have also secured two of his rituals, which
OiiiSi materially from CnOSo used by the
ministers of this day. The first is the one
he uses when the couples are in a hurry,
and when they expect some one to inter-
fere with the marriage:
Join your right hands. Do you both by vir
tue of your marriage vows pledge to each other
your plighted faith in holy wedlock to love
honor and obey each other as a dutiful husband
and wife, thereby forsakng or leaving OF all
Others, living to each other alone IL it shall
please Almighty God TO separate you both by
death; to this do you both agreef pro.
nounce you man and wife. Take your seats''
This is sample of the ceremony when
he has plenty Of time and desires it to be a
very solemn affair:
Marriage is a solemn ordinance instituted
by an all-wIse Creator for the mutual benefit
and happiness of each other, for upon It will
depend your future happiness or misery as to
the issue OF the same Marriage between man
and woman is a solemn pledge Of plighted faith
TO each other, which is to last during our lives,
as nothing but death shall release your mar.
rage vows. Join right hands," etc.
The Office Of justice of the peace is a gift
OF the people, and he is elected to serve
three years. The person elected is the one
who officiates at these marriages, and, o.
course, the place is a paying one, worth
about $500 or $1,000 per year, including
the other fees of the office. There are al
ways numerous candidates.